Sunday, December 30, 2012

All About Hookah

By Hookah John


Used for smoking flavored tobacco, a hookah is device that purifies smoke with a water basin prior to inhalation. The source of hookahs is in the Middle East, where one can still find the best quality hookahs in the world. Hookahs are made in a straightforward way with basic parts.

Components

Essentially, smoke generated from the burning tobacco is passed down through the body, the end of which is submerged in the water jar. The smokes comes out of the base of the body and is purified by the water and kept in air chamber over the water. As the smoke goes through water, the temperature of the smoke decreases and becomes more appropriate for the lungs. The hose can be seen in the diagram on the top left of water jar. It is not shown in the picture, but the length of the hose is about one meter. As the smoker puffs on the hose, the purified smoke leaves the air chamber and is breathed in by the smoker through the hose. The smoke blown out by the smoker is clean, thick and aromatic. In general, people smoke hookah while sitting in groups with their friends on family enjoying their company.

What Do You Inhale from a Hookah?

Hookahs are traditionally used to smoke flavored tobacco referred to as "shisha". Modern-day shisha is made up of some or all of the following: tobacco, treacle (uncrystallized syrup produced in refining sugar), honey, sugar, molasses, glycerin, nicotine, dried fruit and distilled water.

Shisha is generally fruit flavor based. But, flavors that are offshoots of these fruity favors like Banana split are now rising in popularity.

The tobacco flavors have become more and more adaptable because of the ease of flavoring in production. The dried tobacco, glycerin, and sweetener can be blended with essentially any ingredients to create one of a kind flavors.

Where Did Hookahs Come From?

The very first hookah was designed by a Persian physician known as Abul-Fath Gilani in the 1500's. The term hookah originates from the indian name of this device "huqqa." After growing concerned with the health hazards of smoking, he produced a system whereby he passed the smoke with a water basin in order to 'purify' it. However, it is said that even before he invented it, hookah existed in other regions of Persia. After it gained popularity in Indian it spread all through Pakistan and Turkey. Once the hookah arrived at Turkey, its fame increased among the Turkish elite, and it swiftly spread through Lebanon and Syria to the rest of the Middle East and into northern Africa. Now, it has become quite popular around the globe.

Through its journey, the hookah has gathered several additional names:

Nargile (also pronounced Argilee) - Generally used in Mediterranean countries

Narguile - used in Spain

Lula (or lulava) - used in Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina

Sheesha - used by countries in Northern Africa from Morocco to Egypt, and the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf including Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia

Qalyan - used in Iran

Karim Khan - used in Russia, Belarus

Chillim - used in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan

Huqqa - used in India and Pakistan

Gudugudaa - used in Maldives

Marra Pipe - used in the UK

Where Can I Buy A Hookah?

Hookahs can be bought in brick and mortar shops as well as from online shops. Hookah shops have grown with the rise in popularity of hookah bars across the U.S. since the turn of the century. You can easily find a hookah shop close to you if you live in a populated urban area in the U.S. In the Mediterranean countries and the Persian Gulf, hookahs have grown to be a part of daily lives of individuals. However, this is not the case in the U.S.

If you don't want to wander around looking for a hookah, then you a buy one on the web from a number of shops online that offer good quality hookahs and shishas.

What You Should Know About Health Hazards Before Starting to Smoke Hookah?

The debate rages on about whether hookah smoking is safer than cigarette smoking. Inhaling any type of smoke is harmful for lungs but the people in favor of hookah say that the smoke is cleaner and as compared to the smoke of a cigarette. Detractors claim that hookah smoke contains just as many harmful toxins including tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing chemicals. Another argument is that hookah smoking sessions last 60 minutes or longer, so the amount of smoke inhaled is way greater than cigarette smoking. On the other hand, hookah smoking is considered to be less addictive than cigarettes, and lots of hookah smokers do it on a much more casual or social basis, instead of many cigarette smokers who typically smoke several cigarettes per day.




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